Add a staff account and set its permissions in Shopify
Nobody on the team should share the owner login. A staff account gives each person their own login, and a role decides what that login can see and do. This tutorial adds one staff member and builds the two roles the example team uses.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 6 minutes read
The worked example
| Example team | Maya, Jordan and Sam, plus the store owner |
| Roles built | Shop manager, Customer service |
| Permissions in the combined role | 8 distinct permissions |
| Invite method | Email invitation |
Download the record: staff-roles.csv (248 bytes).
A staff roles record for the worked example. The Shop manager role holds 6 permissions and the Customer service role holds 4, with 2 in common, so one user with both roles holds 8 distinct permissions.
1Open Users
From your Shopify admin, go to Settings then Users. You can assign roles, suspend access and revoke device permissions for the users in your admin from this page. Only eligible users can manage other users: for a single store not on Shopify Plus, that is the store owner and users with the Administrator store role.
2Add the user
Click Add users and enter the first name, last name and email address of the person you are inviting. The invitation goes to that email address, and the person accepts it to set up their account.
3Assign a role
In the Roles section, click Assign and pick the role for this user. You can assign one or more roles to a user, and a user with more than one role is granted the cumulative permissions from all of their assigned roles.
4Create a custom role
Click Roles, then Add role. Select a role category, enter a name and a description, then select the permissions the role should have in the Permissions section. Click Save. You cannot modify roles that are managed by Shopify.
5Set two-step authentication
In the two-step authentication section, choose whether two-step authentication is required for this user when they log in through a browser. Require it for anyone with full admin access or access to financial data.
6Send the invite and check acceptance
Click Add users to send the invitation. If the person does not accept it, the invite lapses and you resend it from the Users page. Do not share the owner login while you wait.
7Suspend or remove the user later
To stop a user logging in, open their user page and click Actions then Suspend. To remove them for good, click Actions then Remove and confirm. Removal is permanent, and the user disappears from your admin.
The arithmetic
| Role | Permissions | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Shop manager | Orders, Products, Customers, Discounts, Marketing, Analytics | 6 |
| Customer service | Orders, Customers, Draft orders, Gift cards | 4 |
| One user with both roles | All of the above, overlap counted once | 8 |
Six permissions plus four permissions minus the two they share, Orders and Customers, gives 8 distinct permissions for one user with both roles.
Held at the counter
Permissions cumulate across roles. Assigning a second role never removes access from the first. A user with the Shop manager role and the Customer service role holds all 8 distinct permissions, so check the combined set, not each role alone.
You cannot modify a role managed by Shopify. Roles managed by Shopify are fixed. If the built-in role gives too much or too little, build a custom role with the exact permissions instead of trying to edit the managed one.
On Basic and Starter plans, adding users and assigning store roles is not available. Stores on all plans other than the Basic or Starter plans can add users to the admin and assign store roles to users. If the Add users button is missing, the plan is the reason, not a missing permission.
Sources
- Managing users from your Shopify admin — Shopify's help pages: the Users page, assigning roles, suspending and removing users, and who can manage users.
- Managing roles — Shopify's help pages: creating a custom role, cumulative permissions, and the rule that managed roles cannot be modified.